Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-07-22
COST oE GOVERNMENT.
Tho Vast Sum Necessary to Cover the Ex
pendltures OF the Nation.


pendltures OF tho Nation.
A statement has been made up show
ing the amounts appropriated by Con
gress at its late session for the supper.
of the Government for the year which
Will end June 80, 1888. The total sum
is about two hundred forty-eight and a
half million dollars. There were two
appropriation bills that failed to be-
como law-the River and Harbor bill,
which the President neither approved
nor vetoed, and the Deficiency bill,
which was passed by both branches Of
Congress, but could not be prepared
for the Presidents signature before the
time of adjournment. If we add the
fourteen million dollars appropriated
by these two bills, and the orty-eighi
millions required to pay the interest on
the public debt TO the sum above men
toned, we have three hundred and teh
million dollars as the amount deemed
by Congress necessary to meet the
current annual expenses of Govern.
ment.
The corresponding expenditures dur
ing Washington's administration av.
eraged less than six million dollars q
year. Tho population is fifteen times
as great as it was then the expendi-
ture is fifty times as great. Yet this is
not an evidence of extravagance. be-
cause the Government does for the peO-
pie vastly more than 1t did in tho time
of Washington.
The largest single item OF appropri'
alton is that for pensions. No less a
sum than eighty-three million dollars
Is granted for this purpose for the fis.
alyear. This sum alone would have
paid all the ordinary expenses of the
Government, except interest, for tho
first eighteen years under the Consti-
tuition, or until 1908. Next comes tho
post-olllce, taking lifty-iive and half
millions, but of this amount more than
fifty millions will be derived from
postage and other revenues Of the
department The charge for the ARM
is little less than twonty-four mill
ions. The appropriation for the navy
is larger than usual, almost twenty five
millions, because some new ships are to
be built Most of the salaries paid to
officers of the United States, and to
Congress, are provided for in the Legis-
lative, Executive and Judicial Appropri-
ations act. This act covers sum Of
twenty and half millions more than
it was twelve years ago. when the
population was much smaller than it is
now. A great variety of matters are
provided for under the bill known as
the Sundry Civil Appropriations act
the mint; constructing, repairing and
warming and lighting public buildings;
the life-saving service; lighthouses;
collecting the revenue; paying back
duties wrongly assessed; and great
many others. This act appropriated
twenty-five millions, this year, about
the usual amount
We have thus accounted for all but
about seventeen million dollars of the
appropriations, which are disposed of
thus: Indians, five millions; District
of Columbia, four millions; Ministers
and Consuls. abroad. one million and
a half Agricultural Department, one
million; Military Academy, halt y mill-
ion; and the rest for miscellaneous
small purposes.
Although there are some abuses in
the Government the public service Is,
ON the whole, conducted in manner
that will compare creditably, for econ
omy and efficiency, with that of any
other country in the world. For ex-
ample, the British civil service. which
is so much praised, costs nearly thir-
teen million dollars, or twice as much
as the corresponding service in this
country, although the population of the
United States outnumbers that of the
United Kingdom by twenty-five mill=
ions.
1t is quite beyond the hounds Of
human possibility to expend the throe
hundred millions and more which tha
Government pays out every year With
out some of it going to waste, by be-
ing paid to people who are not entitled
to it; but we succeed rs well as any
other country in limiting these abuses.
This success, however, should not have
the effect of leading the people to
cease their efforts still to improve the
service. We must also remember that
an increasing population must mean
an increase of expenditures; and that
the march of civilization itself is CON
stantly adding to the requirements
which the people make of their Gov
ernment, while every new function OF
Government adds to the cost of main
tanning 1t. Youth's Companion